The present invention relates to the healthcare environment and the ongoing need for improved efficiency in the healthcare workplace and improved safety for patients. In the healthcare workplace, increasing amounts of patient/medical information is communicated by visual display units, such as, for example, physiological monitors, life support system displays, hospital information system computer displays, and the like. Such visual display units typically include a computer screen or monitor that remains stationary relative to the caregivers moving about the workplace. Because of the critical nature of most patient/medical information it is often paramount for caregivers to maintain visual contact with the visual display units for continuous periods while pursuing other physical and intellectual tasks in the workplace. For example, patient vital signs are normally referred to at regular intervals to ensure that proper care is being provided to the patient. It is a problem however that the movement of caregivers in the workplace often places the caregivers in positions that are beyond acceptable viewing range of the display units. In many cases, visibility is reduced to zero as the caregivers move to either side of the display device or otherwise outside of the viewing range for the device.
In cases where the patient is being transported from one location to another, critical data, such as patient vital signs, are displayed by monitoring devices that are placed somewhere on or around the bed. Such an arrangement requires the caregiver to walk to a specific position, often backwards, to be able to see the display while managing the mobility of the bed. In addition, glare from ambient light sources can also reduce the viewability of the display screen if the caregiver is viewing the screen from a particular angle. The caregiver must therefore change his/her position or manually adjust the viewing angle of the display. Known arrangements are thus inefficient in that they require the caregiver to spend time and effort to view the display. This time and effort could alternatively be spent providing better care to the patient.
In addition, various caregivers have different data interests and prefer patient/medical information to be displayed in a configuration that suits these interests. For example, a particular data layout that is preferred by a cardiologist can be significantly different than that of a respiratory therapist. Known arrangements require caregivers having different data interests to manually change the type of information shown on the visual display. This takes time, which could be spent providing better care to the patient.